smokingtwopipesoneontopofthe
other,itmakes
(handtoheart,sighing)myheartgo
pit-a-pat.(Silence.)
It'sthenicotine,oneabsorbsitin
spiteofone's
precautions.(Sighs.)Youknowhowit
is.(Silence.)But
perhapsyoudon'tsmoke?Yes?No?It's
ofnoimportance.
(Silence.)ButhowamItositdownnow,
without
affectation,nowthatIhaverisen?
Withoutappearingto
—howshallIsay—withoutappearingto
falter.(To
Vladimir.)Ibegyourpardon?(Silence.)
Perhapsyou
didn'tspeak?(Silence.)It'sofno
importance.Letmesee
...
Hereflects.
ESTRAGON:
Ah!That'sbetter.
Heputsthebonesinhispocket.
VLADIMIR:
Let'sgo.
ESTRAGON:
Sosoon?
POZZO:
Onemoment!(Hejerkstherope.)Stool!
(Hepointswith
hiswhip.Luckymovesthestool.)More!
There!(Hesits
down.Luckygoesbacktohisplace.)
Doneit!
Hefillshispipe.
VLADIMIR:
(vehemently).Let'sgo!
POZZO:
IhopeI'mnotdrivingyouaway.Waita
littlelonger,you'll
neverregretit.
ESTRAGON:
(scentingcharity).We'reinnohurry.
POZZO:
(havinglithispipe).Thesecondis
neversosweet...
(hetakesthepipeoutofhismouth,
contemplatesit)..
.asthefirstImean.(Heputsthepipe
backinhis
mouth.)Butit'ssweetjustthesame.
VLADIMIR:
I'mgoing.
POZZO:
Hecannolongerenduremypresence.I
amperhapsnot
particularlyhuman,butwhocares?(To
Vladimir.)Think
twicebeforeyoudoanythingrash.
Supposeyougonow
whileitisstillday,forthereisno
denyingitisstillday.
(Theyalllookupatthesky.)Good.
(Theystoplookingat
thesky.)Whathappensinthatcase—
(hetakesthepipe
outofhismouth,examinesit)—I'mout
—(herelightshis
pipe)—inthatcase—(puff)—inthat
case—(puff)
—whathappensinthatcasetoyour
appointmentwith
this...Godet...Godot...Godin
...anyhowyousee
whoImean,whohasyourfutureinhis
hands...
(pause)...atleastyourimmediate
future?
VLADIMIR:
Whotoldyou?
POZZO:
Hespeakstomeagain!Ifthisgoeson
muchlongerwe'll
soonbeoldfriends.
ESTRAGON:
Whydoesn'theputdownhisbags?
POZZO:
Itoowouldbehappytomeethim.The
morepeopleI
meetthehappierIbecome.Fromthe
meanestcreature
onedepartswiser,richer,more
consciousofone's
blessings.Evenyou...(helooksat
themostentatiously
inturntomakeitcleartheyareboth
meant)...even
you,whoknows,willhaveaddedtomy
store.
ESTRAGON:
Whydoesn'theputdownhisbags?
POZZO:
Butthatwouldsurpriseme.
VLADIMIR:
You'rebeingaskedaquestion.
POZZO:
(delighted).Aquestion!Who?What?A
momentagoyou
werecallingmeSir,infearand
trembling.Nowyou're
askingmequestions.Nogoodwillcome
ofthis!
VLADIMIR:
(toEstragon).Ithinkhe'slistening.
ESTRAGON:
(circlingaboutLucky).What?
VLADIMIR:
Youcanaskhimnow.He'sonthealert.
ESTRAGON:
Askhimwhat?
VLADIMIR:
Whyhedoesn'tputdownhisbags.
ESTRAGON:
Iwonder.
VLADIMIR:
Askhim,can'tyou?
POZZO:
(whohasfollowedtheseexchangeswith
anxious
attention,fearinglestthequestionget
lost).Youwantto
knowwhyhedoesn'tputdownhisbags,
asyoucall
them.
VLADIMIR:
That'sit.
POZZO:
(toEstragon).Youaresureyouagree
withthat?
ESTRAGON:
He'spuffinglikeagrampus.
POZZO:
Theansweristhis.(ToEstragon).But
staystill,Ibegof
you,you'remakingmenervous!
VLADIMIR:
Here.
ESTRAGON:
Whatisit?
VLADIMIR:
He'sabouttospeak.
EstragongoesoverbesideVladimir.
Motionless,sideby
side,theywait.
POZZO:
Good.Iseverybodyready?Iseverybody
lookingatme?
(HelooksatLucky,jerkstherope.
Luckyraiseshis
head.)Willyoulookatme,pig!(Lucky
looksathim.)
Good.(Heputsthepipeinhispocket,
takesoutalittle
vaporizerandsprayshisthroat,puts
backthevaporizer
inhispocket,clearshisthroat,spits,
takesoutthe
vaporizeragain,sprayshisthroat
again,putsbackthe
vaporizerinhispocket.)Iamready.Is
everybody
listening?Iseverybodyready?(Helooks
atthemallin
turn,jerkstherope.)Hog!(Lucky
raiseshishead.)I
don'tliketalkinginavacuum.Good.
Letmesee.
Hereflects.
ESTRAGON:
I'mgoing.
POZZO:
Whatwasitexactlyyouwantedtoknow?
VLADIMIR:
Whyhe–
POZZO:
(angrily).Don'tinterruptme!(Pause.
Calmer.)Ifweall
speakatoncewe'llnevergetanywhere.
(Pause.)What
wasIsaying?(Pause.Louder.)Whatwas
Isaying?
Vladimirmimicsonecarryingaheavy
burden.Pozzolooks
athim,puzzled.
ESTRAGON:
(forcibly).Bags.(HepointsatLucky.)
Why?Alwayshold.
(Hesags,panting.)Neverputdown.(He
openshishands,
straightensupwithrelief.)Why?
POZZO:
Ah!Whycouldn'tyousaysobefore?Why
hedoesn't
makehimselfcomfortable?Let'stryand
getthisclear.
Hashenottherightto?Certainlyhe
has.Itfollowsthat
hedoesn'twantto.There'sreasoning
foryou.Andwhy
doesn'thewantto?(Pause.)Gentlemen,
thereasonis
this.
VLADIMIR:
(toEstragon).Makeanoteofthis.
POZZO:
Hewantstoimpressme,sothatI'll
keephim.
ESTRAGON:
What?
POZZO:
PerhapsIhaven'tgotitquiteright.He
wantstomollify
me,sothatI'llgiveuptheideaof
partingwithhim.No,
that'snotexactlyiteither.
VLADIMIR:
Youwanttogetridofhim?
POZZO:
Hewantstoconme,buthewon't.
VLADIMIR:
Youwanttogetridofhim?
POZZO:
HeimaginesthatwhenIseehowwellhe
carriesI'llbe
temptedtokeephimoninthatcapacity.
ESTRAGON:
You'vehadenoughofhim?
POZZO:
Inrealityhecarrieslikeapig.It's
nothisjob.
VLADIMIR:
Youwanttogetridofhim?
POZZO:
HeimaginesthatwhenIseehim
indefatigableI'llregret
mydecision.Suchishismiserable
scheme.AsthoughI
wereshortofslaves!(Allthreelookat
Lucky.)Atlas,son
ofJupiter!(Silence.)Well,that's
that,Ithink.Anything
else?
Vaporizer.
VLADIMIR:
Youwanttogetridofhim?
POZZO:
RemarkthatImightjustaswellhave
beeninhisshoes
andheinmine.Ifchancehadnotwilled
otherwise.To
eachonehisdue.
VLADIMIR:
Youwaagerrim?
POZZO:
Ibegyourpardon?
VLADIMIR:
Youwanttogetridofhim?
POZZO:
Ido.Butinsteadofdrivinghimawayas
Imighthave
done,Imeaninsteadofsimplykicking
himoutonhisarse,
inthegoodnessofmyheartIam
bringinghimtothefair,
whereIhopetogetagoodpricefor
him.Thetruthisyou
can'tdrivesuchcreaturesaway.The
bestthingwouldbe
tokillthem.
Luckyweeps.
ESTRAGON:
He'scrying!
POZZO:
Olddogshavemoredignity.(Heproffers
hishandkerchief
toEstragon.)Comforthim,sinceyou
pityhim.(Estragon
hesitates.)Comeon.(Estragontakesthe
handkerchief.)
Wipeawayhistears,he'llfeelless
forsaken.
Estragonhesitates.
VLADIMIR:
Here,giveittome,I'lldoit.
Estragonrefusestogivethe
handkerchief.
Childishgestures.
POZZO:
Makehaste,beforehestops.(Estragon
approaches
Luckyandmakestowipehiseyes.Lucky
kickshim
violentlyintheshins.Estragondrops
thehandkerchief,
recoils,staggersaboutthestage
howlingwithpain.)
Hanky!
Luckyputsdownbagandbasket,picksup
handkerchief
andgivesittoPozzo,goesbacktohis
place,picksup
bagandbasket.
ESTRAGON:
Ohtheswine!(Hepullsupthelegof
histrousers.)He's
crippledme!
POZZO:
Itoldyouhedidn'tlikestrangers.
VLADIMIR:
(toEstragon).Showme.(Estragonshows
hisleg.To
Pozzo,angrily.)He'sbleeding!
POZZO:
It'sagoodsign.
ESTRAGON:
(ononeleg).I'llneverwalkagain!
VLADIMIR:
(tenderly).I'llcarryyou.(Pause.)If
necessary.
POZZO:
He'sstoppedcrying.(ToEstragon.)You
havereplaced
himasitwere.(Lyrically.)Thetears
oftheworldarea
constantquantity.Foreachonewho
beginstoweep,
somewhereelseanotherstops.Thesame
istrueofthe
laugh.(Helaughs.)Letusnotthen
speakillofour
generation,itisnotanyunhappierthan
itspredecessors.
(Pause.)Letusnotspeakwellofit
either.(Pause.)Letus
notspeakofitatall.(Pause.
Judiciously.)Itistruethe
populationhasincreased.
VLADIMIR:
Tryandwalk.
Estragontakesafewlimpingsteps,
stopsbeforeLucky
andspitsonhim,thengoesandsits
downonthemound.
POZZO:
Guesswhotaughtmeallthesebeautiful
things.(Pause.
PointingtoLucky.)MyLucky!
VLADIMIR:
(lookingatthesky.)Willnightnever
come?
POZZO:
Butforhimallmythoughts,allmy
feelings,wouldhave
beenofcommonthings.(Pause.With
extraordinary
vehemence.)Professionalworries!
(Calmer.)Beauty,
grace,truthofthefirstwater,Iknew
theywereall
beyondme.SoItookaknook.
VLADIMIR:
(startledfromhisinspectionofthe
sky).Aknook?
POZZO:
Thatwasnearlysixtyyearsago...
(heconsultshis
watch)...yes,nearlysixty.(Drawing
himselfup
proudly.)Youwouldn'tthinkittolook
atme,wouldyou?
ComparedtohimIlooklikeayoungman,
no?(Pause.)
Hat!(Luckyputsdownthebasketand
takesoffhishat.
Hislongwhitehairfallsabouthis
face.Heputshishat
underhisarmandpicksupthebasket.)
Nowlook.(Pozzo
takesoffhishat.[Allfourwear
bowlers.]Heis
completelybald.Heputsonhishat
again.)Didyousee?
VLADIMIR:
Andnowyouturnhimaway?Suchanold
andfaithful
servant!
ESTRAGON:
Swine!
Pozzomoreandmoreagitated.
VLADIMIR:
Afterhavingsuckedallthegoodoutof
himyouchuckhim
awaylikea...likeabananaskin.
Really...
POZZO:
(groaning,clutchinghishead).Ican't
bearit...any
longer...thewayhegoeson...
you'venoidea...
it'sterrible...hemustgo...(he
waveshisarms)...
I'mgoingmad...(hecollapses,his
headinhishands)..
.Ican'tbearit...anylonger...
Silence.AlllookatPozzo.
VLADIMIR:
Hecan'tbearit.
ESTRAGON:
Anylonger.
VLADIMIR:
He'sgoingmad.
ESTRAGON:
It'sterrible.
VLADIMIR:
(toLucky).Howdareyou!It's
abominable!Suchagood
master!Crucifyhimlikethat!Afterso
manyyears!Really!
POZZO:
(sobbing).Heusedtobesokind...
sohelpful...and
entertaining...mygoodangel...
andnow...he's
killingme.
ESTRAGON:
(toVladimir).Doeshewanttoreplace
him?
VLADIMIR:
What?
ESTRAGON:
Doeshewantsomeonetotakehisplace
ornot?
VLADIMIR:
Idon'tthinkso.
ESTRAGON:
What?
VLADIMIR:
Idon'tknow.
ESTRAGON:
Askhim.
POZZO:
(calmer).Gentlemen,Idon'tknowwhat
cameoverme.
Forgiveme.ForgetallIsaid.(Moreand
morehisold
self.)Idon'trememberexactlywhatit
was,butyoumay
besuretherewasn'tawordoftruthin
it.(Drawing
himselfup,strikinghischest.)DoI
looklikeamanthat
canbemadetosuffer?Frankly?(He
rummagesinhis
pockets.)WhathaveIdonewithmypipe?
VLADIMIR:
Charmingeveningwe'rehaving.
ESTRAGON:
Unforgettable.
VLADIMIR:
Andit'snotover.
ESTRAGON:
Apparentlynot.
VLADIMIR:
It'sonlybeginning.
ESTRAGON:
It'sawful.
VLADIMIR:
Worsethanthepantomime.
ESTRAGON:
Thecircus.
VLADIMIR:
Themusic-hall.
ESTRAGON:
Thecircus.
POZZO:
WhatcanIhavedonewiththatbriar?
ESTRAGON:
He'sascream.He'slosthisdudeen.
Laughsnoisily.
VLADIMIR:
I'llbeback.
Hehastenstowardsthewings.
ESTRAGON:
Endofthecorridor,ontheleft.
VLADIMIR:
Keepmyseat.
ExitVladimir.
POZZO:
(onthepointoftears).I'velostmy
KappandPeterson!
ESTRAGON:
(convulsedwithmerriment).He'llbethe
deathofme!
POZZO:
Youdidn'tseebyanychance—(He
missesVladimir.)Oh!
He'sgone!Withoutsayinggoodbye!How
couldhe!He
mighthavewaited!
ESTRAGON:
Hewouldhaveburst.
POZZO:
Oh!(Pause.)Ohwellthenofcoursein
thatcase...
ESTRAGON:
Comehere.
POZZO:
Whatfor?
ESTRAGON:
You'llsee.
POZZO:
Youwantmetogetup?
ESTRAGON:
Quick!(Pozzogetsupandgoesover
besideEstragon.
Estragonpointsoff.)Look!
POZZO:
(havingputonhisglasses).OhIsay!
ESTRAGON:
It'sallover.
EnterVladimir,somber.Heshoulders
Luckyoutofhis
way,kicksoverthestool,comesand
goesagitatedly.
POZZO:
He'snotpleased.
ESTRAGON:
(toVladimir).Youmissedatreat.Pity.
Vladimirhalts,straightensthestool,
comesandgoes,
calmer.
POZZO:
Hesubsides.(Lookinground.)Indeedall
subsides.Agreat
calmdescends.(Raisinghishand.)
Listen!Pansleeps.
VLADIMIR:
Willnightnevercome?
Allthreelookatthesky.
POZZO:
Youdon'tfeellikegoinguntilitdoes?
ESTRAGON:
